refeeding

noun

re·​feed·​ing (ˌ)rē-ˈfē-diŋ 

plural refeedings

medical : the reintroduction of nutrition (as through a feeding tube or by oral feeding) into a severely malnourished individual (such as one affected with anorexia nervosa or chronic alcoholism) to restore weight

If too rapid a refeeding program follows such periods of starvation, providing protein and carbohydrate without cofactors such as thiamin and magnesium, serious metabolic and neurologic disturbances can follow.

—Sue Rodwell Williams

see also refeeding syndrome

refeed

(ˌ)rē-ˈfēd 

verb, transitive + intransitive

refed (ˌ)rē-ˈfed  ; refeeding

refeed anorexic adolescents

Examples of refeeding in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There, doctors began what was once called refeeding but is now more commonly called nutritional rehabilitation, using an intravenous line that fed into her neck. —Katie Engelhart, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2024

Because of the complex interplay between the physical and mental symptoms of starvation, the first steps to recovery for people with malnutrition are to eat more and to gain weight, a process called refeeding or renourishment, before working on the behavioral and cognitive aspects of the disease. —Kate Siber, New York Times, 18 Oct. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing refeeding

• refeeding syndrome

Medical Definition

refeeding

noun

re·​feed·​ing (ˌ)rē-ˈfē-diŋ 

: the reintroduction of nutrition (as through a feeding tube or by oral feeding) into a severely malnourished individual (as one affected with anorexia nervosa or chronic alcoholism) to restore weight see refeeding syndrome

refeed

(ˌ)rē-ˈfēd 

verb

refed (ˌ)rē-ˈfed  ; refeeding

refeed anorexic adolescents